Comments on: Deficit grows in Colonie*http://blog.timesunion.com/localpolitics/1953/deficit-grows-in-colonie/
A place to talk about government closer to your homeFri, 31 Jul 2015 01:25:11 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.2By: residentofcoloniehttp://blog.timesunion.com/localpolitics/1953/deficit-grows-in-colonie/comment-page-1/#comment-3196
Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:11:55 +0000http://blogs.timesunion.com/localpolitics/?p=1953#comment-3196We all need to stop talking about how the deficit was created by increases in the retirement contributions, health insurance and utilities. If these were the reasons why Colonie is in a deficit, then all towns, cities, school districts, villages, and counties should also be in deficit. It is understandable for one year possibly two years to have an operating deficit caused by these increases, but at sometime the Town Board should have reacted to these issues and budgeted the expenses conservatively. The differences between Colonie and other towns, cities, school districts, villages, and counties is that they reacted to the increased costs, by either cutting costs or raising taxes or other revenue sources. I understand raising taxes is not the popular answer (I am a taxpayer), however, when health insurance increases are 10% a year, salaries increase 3% (avg.), and taxes don’t increase, where is the money coming from to cover the increases? Apparently, there was no money to cover these expenses.

I attended the Town Board meeting Friday night. My understanding is the General Fund owes the Sewer Fund a substantially amount of money based on what the auditors said. So, the surplus fund balance in the Sewer Fund could be based on a receivable that the General Fund does not know when it will be able to repay. The extent of this receivable will not be known until the audit is finalized.

One last comment, the auditors mentioned that the 2007 audited financial statements would be issued final by the end of this month and submitted on time and this would be the first time in several years. As I recall, didn’t the Town just received there 2006 audited in June of 2008, 18 monthes after the year-end. When were the 2004 and 2005 audited financial statements issued?

The auditors knew about it and reported about it every year in the financial statements. Feel free to FOIL past copies as a taxpayer I would suggest you do. As a taxpayer you should have been looking at them every year. Especially since the taxes have rose over 35% in the last years of Brizell’s administration. I have seen them and they are very interesting reading. For example it notes the huge increases for retirement contributions that are mandated by the state as the part of the reason for the deficit.

Please stop saying people should go to jail. Mary did a horrible job of managing the finances, but she did not steal $31,000,000. And if your only criteria for going to jail is having a deficit then make sure you make room for Jerry Jennings. He just reported that the city of Albany has a deficit of over $14,000,000.

]]>By: used2bTChttp://blog.timesunion.com/localpolitics/1953/deficit-grows-in-colonie/comment-page-1/#comment-3193
Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:10:37 +0000http://blogs.timesunion.com/localpolitics/?p=1953#comment-3193P. David Soares appears to be an empty suit.
]]>By: lathamguyhttp://blog.timesunion.com/localpolitics/1953/deficit-grows-in-colonie/comment-page-1/#comment-3192
Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:31:38 +0000http://blogs.timesunion.com/localpolitics/?p=1953#comment-3192Question: BST has audited Colonie’s books for several years, having been hired under the Brizzell administration. Did they report similar bad news in prior years? If so, what was reported, who knew about it, and when did they know about it? The answers need to be forward to P. David Soares with an “URGENT” stamp on the envelope. When you add a $19+ million deficit to a $12 million surplus the total loss comes out to $31+ million!!! SOMEONE NEEDS TO GO TO PRISON!!!
]]>By: Independent Joneshttp://blog.timesunion.com/localpolitics/1953/deficit-grows-in-colonie/comment-page-1/#comment-3191
Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:13:12 +0000http://blogs.timesunion.com/localpolitics/?p=1953#comment-3191“The sewer fund can’t legally be tapped”

Okay. Can the amount of surplus in the sewer fund be given back to the taxpayers? Reduce the sewer portion of my tax bill and increase my local taxes by the same amount. My total bill stays the same, the sewer surplus is eliminated, and the deficit is reduced.
I don’t know enough about our system of taxation to know if this would work, but I haven’t heard any better suggestions